Coin-controlled stamp vending machines



Aug. 19, 1958` MS. LEwls 2,848,222

COIN-CONTROLLED STAMP VENDING MACHINES Filed June 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/ W JNVENToR.

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Aug. 19, 195s M. s. LEWIS COIN-CONTROLLED STAMP VENDING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 29, 1953 INVENTOR.

BY 4a/@anw 61 EW/5 United States Patent COIN-CONTROLLED STAB/IP VENDIN G MACHINES Morgan S. Lewis, Gaklawn, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, of one-half to Morgan S. Lewis, Oaklawn, and one-half to William B. Fitzgerald, Chicago, lll.

Application .lune 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,655

2 Claims. (Cl. 271-24) My invention relates to coin controlled stamp vending machines which permit the vending of a plurality of stamps upon each single operation of the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which will be simple in structure, positive of operation and economical in manufacture, the apparatus comprising relatively few parts.

A further improvement resides in the simplified positively acting stamp-engaging foot which assures movement of a web of stamps a predetermined distance through a guideway upon a track from one end of which track the purchased stamps may be manually severed from the web of stamps.

Yet another and equally important object of the invention resides in the simplified construction for preventing felonious or unauthorized removal of the stamps through and from the guideway.

A further object of the invention includes a simplified arrangement for closing the coin receiving slot when the stamp supply within the machine has become exhausted.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the reverse side as seen in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an edge view as viewed in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the invention showing the initial step in the stamp vending operation;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a further step in the operation of vending the stamps;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the nal step in the operation of vending the stamps;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail View taken substantially on line 7 7 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary -sectional detail view taken substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

ln the drawings and in the description to follow I have not shown or illustrated the cabinet of the stamp vending machine within which my invention is to be arranged for the reason that any approved shape or construction of a cabinet may be utilized and built to accommodate my simplified stamp vending mechanism.

My improved simplified stamp vending mechanism includes a disc 10 rotatably mounted upon a pintle 11 carried by a plate 12. This plate 12 is mounted in a vertical position in the cabinet (not shown) with which my invention is associated.

The disc 10 has formed in one edge thereof a coin pocket 13 which is adapted to receive a suitable coin 14 passing through a suitable coin pathway 15.. This pathway 15 communicates with a coin receiving chute 16, having an entrance slot 17. At the point of junction be- 2,848,222 Patented lAug. 1.9, 1958 ice tween the chute 16 and the coin pathway 15 is a hinged plate 18 for reasons hereinafter more fully explained.

The disc 10 has formed at a predetermined point on its edge a plurality of teeth 19 adapted to cooperate with a pawl 20 to prevent the rotation of the disc in one direction when such attempt is made to rotate the disc in such direction prior to the time it completes a full stroke in the opposite direction. The pawl 20. is controlled by a spring 21. While the disc 10 can be rotated in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l, the pawl 20 in cooperation with the teeth 19 will prevent rotation of the disc 10 in an opposite direction until the pawl 20 engages into a recess 22 formed in the disc, at which time the disc will have completed its full stroke in such anticlockwise direction. Such an arrangement is known in the art as a full stroke device.

The disc 10 at a predetermined point has extending from an edge thereof an arm 23 provided with a finger lip 24 which facilitates rotating the disc.

Pivotally connected to the plate 12 is a latch arm 26 spring-urged by a spring 27 into the path of movement of a latch finger 23 carried by the disc 10. This latch finger 28 cooperates with the latch arm 26 to prevent unauthorized rotation ofthe disc 10 until a proper coin has been deposited in payment for the stamps to be vended.

The disc 1li at a predetermined point carries a laterally extending arm 29 which cooperates with pins 30 and 30 carried by the plate 12 to limit rotation of the disc 10 in an opposite direction. The disc. 10 is rotated in one direction by the action of the spring 25.

This arm 29 has a laterally extending foot 3.1 carrying on the underside thereof a shaft 32.

Mounted on this shaft 32 for independent pivotal movement coaxially with respect to the shaft 32 are a plurality of feed ngers 33. These fingers 33 are each preferably formed substantially triangular in plan View to provide a stamp engaging corner 34.

Carried by the lateral foot 31 is a coil spring 35 between the convolutions of which are projected the top edge portion of the fingers 33. The spring 35 acts upon these lingers 33 to individually bias the, same into engagement with the stamps to be vended.

The fingers 33 ride in a curved guideway or ltrack 36 comprising a bottom 37 and overlapping flanges 38. The track 36 is supported from the plate 12 by brackets 36. These flanges 38 provide longitudinally extending guiding grooves for the edge portions of the stamp web 39 of a roll of stamps 40. n

The roll of stamps 40 is mounted upon a spindle 41 carried by an arm 42 adjustably fixed to the plate 12 by a set screw 43.

The guideway 36 at its outer end portion terminates into an inwardly curved lip 44. Within the area of this lip 44 and therebeneath is the exit slot 45 for the stamps. The edge portion 46 of the Ebottom wall 37 of the guideway adjacent this exit slot 45 is serrated to provide a plurality of severing teeth 47 which are adapted to engage the stamps, preferably in the perforations 48 of the web of stamps, to permit the vended stamp lot or group to be manually severed from the web of stamps.

By reason of the location and shape of this curved lip and its relation to the teeth 47, one cannot by a tool or his fingers feloniously feed the web of stamps through the guideway 36.

In the plate 12 at the lower end of the coin pathway 15 there is provided an opening 49 through which the coin 14 is discharged in a manner to be hereinafter set forth.

Supported by a pintle 50 is one end portion of an arm 51 (Fig. 2). This arm 51 has a feeler finger 52 whlch normally rides against the under surface of the web 0f.

stamps. The arm 51 is shaped in the manner shown in Fig. 2 to provide at its upper end portion a blocking finger 53 which normally engages an edge 54 of the plate 18. This arm 15 is biased by a spring 55 in a direction to bear the feeler finger S2 against the web of stamps in the. guideway 36.

Should the stamp supply become exhausted the feeler finger 52 will pass through a slot 56 formed in the bottom 37 of the guideway 36. This will permit the arm 51 to pivot under the action of the spring 55. The arm 51 moving under the action of the spring 55 will cam the plate 18 in a direction away from the plate 12 to dispose the blocking finger 53 into the coin pathway 15 thus preventing coins from passing into the pocket 13 until such time as a new web of stamps is fed into the track 36. The operation of vending a lot or group of stamps is as follows:

A coin is deposited in the coin receiving pathway and passes into the `coin pathway 15 for lodgement into the pocket 13, it being noted that the lower end portion 15' ofthe pathway is tapered laterally in the direction of the pocket 13 to direct the coin therein. The disc 10 is now rotated by grasping the finger lip 24. The rotation of the disc brings the coin into engagement with the latch arm 26 and elevates the same to the position shown inFig. 4 to lfree the disc 10 for rotation in a direction to dispose the feeding fingers 33 in the position shown in Fig. or at the extreme inner end of the guideway. In this position the fingers 33 will engage an adjacent perforation 48 in the stamp web. As the disc is rotated in an opposite direction, the fingers yieldably engaging in the adjacent stamp web will move the stamp web through the guideway a distance equivalent to expose beyond the teeth 47 three stamps. In this position the perforations of the stamp web engaged by the fingers 33 will now be in a position in engagement with the teeth 47 to facilitate the severance of the vended stamps from the stamp web in the guideway 36.

It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the edge of the coin discharge opening 49 is tapered in a direction downwardly and away from the disc 10. This permits the finger 26 to deflect the coin 14 through the opening 49 as the disc is about to be rotated from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6,

As the stamp engaging fingers 33 are independently movable relative to each other, it will be clear that in the event of defect in the line of perforation 48 in the stamp web, one or more of the fingers will nevertheless engage that portion of the line of perforation which is not defective with the result that the web of stamps will be vended as positively as though the line of perforation was not defective.

While I have hereinbefore stated that the stamps are vended in lots of threes, it is to be understood that the number of lots may vary according to the value of the stamps to -be vended.

From the foregoing description it will be manifest that I have provided a stamp vending machine which is of a simple construction comprising relatively few parts and one which is positive in its operation of vending the required number of stamps upon the deposit of a proper coin. It will be also apparent that I have pro-vided a very simple structure serving to prevent the unauthorized manual feeding of stamps through the stamp guideway without first depositing the required coin.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect,

this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of ythe invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A stamp vending machine of the class described comprising a relatively flat mounting plate, an arcuate track carried by the plate adjacent one end thereof and providing a guideway for a perforated web of stamps to be moved therethrough, a disc mounted in facial relation with respect to one side of the plate and having an extension extending radially from the peripheral edge of the disc, stamp-engaging means carried by the outer end portion of the extension to engage the web of stamps within the guideway, said stamp engaging means cornprising a foot provided by said extension and extending laterally therefrom, a plurality of independently movable fingers pivotally carried by said foot, each of said fingers being substantially triangular in elevation with the apex thereof disposed to engage in an adjacent perforation of said web of stamps, and a coil spring carried by the foot and having thel convolutions thereof engaging the top edge of said fingers to individually bias said fingers in a direction to dispose the apex thereof in said adjacent perforation of said web of stamps, and means for rotating said disc to effectuate movement of said web of stamps intermittently through said guideway by said perforation-engaging fingers.

2. A stamp vending machine of the class described comprising a relatively fiat mounting plate, an arcuate track Icarried by the plate adjacent one end thereof and providing a guideway for a perforated web of stamps to be moved therethrough, a disc mounted in facial relation with respect to one side of the plate and having an extension extending radially from the peripheral edge of the disc, stamp-engaging means carried by the outer end portion of the extension to engage the web of stamps within the guideway, said stamp engaging means comprising a foot provided by said extension and extending laterally therefrom, a plurality of independently movable fingers pivotally carried by said foot, each of said fingers being substantially triangular in elevation with the apex thereof disposed to engage in an adjacent perforation of said web of stamps, means carried -by the foot and engaging the top edge of the fingers to individually bias said fingers to dispose the apex thereof in engagement with the adjacent perforation of said web of stamps, and means for rotating said disc to effectuate movement of said web of stamps intermittently through said guideway by said perforation-engaging fingers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 437,610 Mayer et al Sept. 30, 1890 1,127,843 Allen Feb. 9, 1915 1,453,425 Williams May 1, 1923 1,581,867 Ray Apr. 20, 1926 1,854,668 Rappaport Apr. 19, 1932 2,155,762 Von Kintzel Apr. 25, 1939 2,169,058 Price Aug. 8, 1939 2,202,011 Krueger May 28, 1940 2,206,978 Steiner July 9, 1940 2,206,979 Steiner July 9, 1940 2,570,724 Schaible Oct. 9, 1951 

